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PLEASE TAKE MY NAME OFF YOUR LIST! -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:goanet-admin@;goacom.com] On Behalf Of Frederick Noronha Sent: 17 October 2002 06:41 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Goanet] NEWS: Survey on Greek marbles brings hope for Kohinoor diamond ---------------------------------------------------------- What's On In Goa: * Oct 16-17: Ornithology workshop, Bondla southernbirdwing.com * Oct 16-27: Vipasana meditation, Alto Porvorim * Oct 24: Antonio Pereira Puraskar (Award) ceremony, Porvorim ---------------------------------------------------------- Survey on Greek marbles brings hope for Kohinoor diamond By Sanjay Suri, Indo-Asian News Service London, Oct 17 (IANS) A survey that shows that 56 percent of Britons want the controversial Elgin marbles returned to Greece has brought new hope for the return of the Kohinoor diamond and other Indian treasures to India. The survey shows that only seven percent were opposed to return of the famous marbles to Greece. The rest were undecided. The Greeks like to call them the Parthenon marbles. They were taken away by Lord Elgin from there in 1806 and remain in the British Museum. "Our case is much stronger because we can show that the title to the Kohinoor never passed to the British and the title goes back to Delhi," Bhaskar Ghorpade from the Association for the Restitution of the Cultural Heritage of India (Archindia) told IANS. The famed diamond reportedly belonged to Dalip Singh, the son of the 19th century ruler of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The 106-carat diamond is said to be the centre stone of the state crown worn by the British monarch at ceremonies. The Greeks have won public support following a sustained campaign in the public and among parliamentarians for return of the marbles. For now, the Greeks are asking for the return for display in time for the 2004 Olympics while the statues remain the property of the British Museum. But the strong public support to return of the marbles, up from 39 percent in 1998, shows the new writing on the wall. "The public perception and even the mood of the royalty has changed over these issues," Ghorpade said. India has made three official requests for return of the Kohinoor since 1947, but never followed them up firmly. Kuldip Nayar, MP, journalist and former Indian high commissioner to Britain who has been leading the campaign for the return of the Kohinoor, said that he had brought the issue up with Indian Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, who was formerly the external affairs minister. But Singh declined to take up the matter on the ground that relations with Britain are good. "That cannot be made a reason for not claiming the Kohinoor back," Nayar told IANS. Ghorpade, a senior barrister who successfully fought the historic case that brought a priceless 12th century Nataraja idol back to India, said: "The time has come now for a determined effort by the government and the people of India to fight for our common national pride." In the Nataraja case, the statue had been bought by a Canadian firm. Ghorpade made an appeal in the London High Court on behalf of the Shiv Lingam, and won the case. The Nataraja figure is now at its original temple in Tamil Nadu. Ghorpade also fought successfully for the return of an ancient figure of the Tamluk Yakshi to India. The poll on the Parthenon marbles was conducted by Mori on behalf of the British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles. --Indo-Asian News Service ======================================================================== To view GoaNet's archives http://groups.yahoo.com/group/goa-net ======================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Don't want so many e-mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead! ---------------------------------------------------------- What's On In Goa: * Oct 16-27: Vipasana meditation, Alto Porvorim * Oct 24: Antonio Pereira Puraskar (Award) ceremony, Porvorim * Oct 24-26: Intl conf on trends in hospital care, Cidade de Goa * Oct 25: Bookings start for CellOne, BSNL's cellular service in Goa * Oct 29-31: Films on architect Le Corbusier, Goa Col. of Architecture * Nov 1-17: Swimming classes for children, others. SAG pool, Fatorda ----------------------------------------------------------
